Every Moment
by HuntressoftheLight
Summary: Thalia is an orphan mage living in Darktown, who has a dark past filled with demons and blood mages. She is adopted by a wealthy exiled noble family who soon find out she's a mage, even so, they still love her and seek training for her magic. As it happens an apostate healer mage has taken residence in Darktown and is willing to teach Thalia the healer art.
1. Chapter 1: Lost and Found

Chapter 1: Lost and Found

When they dragged me away I was sure it was to end my life once and for all. I knew she would never stand for me living, having had been here right under her nose all these years. But I couldn't help myself. I had to say it, "It was worth it, every moment."

IXI

Some unknown days later I had awoken in a damp, musty cell. Barely clothed and shivering, I sat up in the impenetrable darkness, or maybe that was just the feeling of loneliness in this place. As I recalled the latest events in my head I was shocked to still be alive. I checked my body for any bruises or minor injuries. When I touched my leg a sharp pain spread down my leg in an almost, straight line. A scrape perhaps? Probably from being dragged on the rough stone floor.

I placed my hands centimeters above my leg, and recited a simple healing spell.

Suddenly, all my resolve and strength had disappeared at once, leaving me gasping for breath; clawing at the open air, "_Damn."_ I cursed harshly.

How could I have been that stupid? Of course they would have blocked the usage of magic down here!

Magic was my first nature. Everything in my life had been so intertwined with my power. I would always use magic as a first resort even just to do everyday things. Of course, I had never ran into the problem of hiding my magic, until recently.

I don't exactly know where, or to whom, I was born. What I do know, is that I was raised in Darktown by an exiled noble family. I am not their own blood, but just as close to it. I still do not know to this day what their previous surname was, but the residents of Darktown took to calling them the Royals of the Dark. So they adopted the surname Royals, hoping no one from their past recognized them.

When the Royals had been exiled from the luxury from Hightown, they hadn't lost their money, but it was at the cost of their pride.

The Royals had a disagreement with the Viscount and the Knight-Commander. The Knight-Commander had threatened that if they did not succeed to the new laws - Templars now had the right to "search" (more like rip apart) nobles homes, despite whatever social status they had. The Royals wouldn't stand for such disrespect of their privacy; corrupt Templars are unpredictable. The Knight-Commander didn't tolerate resistance, but she couldn't execute them, so she simply convinced the Viscount to bann them from living in Hightown, or from purchasing property that would elevate them back to noble status.

The Royals took their exile rather well, compared to the reaction of many other nobles, who despised the new laws, when they found out what had happened to the Royals. A silent submission had swept over Hightown, like a gentle breeze with a sinister mission, and right into Knight-Commander Meredith's palm.

The Royal's had lived in Lowtown for a short while, but after a devastating attack on their only daughter, Layla, by religious fanatics they decided that they needed to retreat even deeper into Kirkwall, to get away from the Chantry and the Templars.

Kira and Milo Royal had one more child, a son named Noah, who had just been born before the exile. It was Noah who had found me three years later.

I was wrapped in a green threadbare cloth, practically unnoticeable, I lay next to the side of an abandoned factory. As Noah and his parents were cautiously making their way back home, he had spotted a small pink face in the corner of his eye. Curious, he walked up to me and picked me up, his parents noticed his absence and rushed to his side. Instantly seeing the babe he was holding, and a confused look in his eyes,

"Moma? Where are they?"

"Where are what dear?" His mother responded calmly.

Tears were filling up in Noah's eyes, "Where are the parents? Momas and dads can't leave their child. Can they?!" Panic struck his heart. If this babe's parents left it, then that meant that his parents could leave him too, "You'll never leave me, right?"

Noah's mother kneeled down close to him, and held him tightly in a warm embrace, "No, of course not. Never."

Noah looked into my face intently, even with all the commotion, I still had not stirred. Noah handed me into his mother's arms and asked if I was dead. His mother replied no, but that I looked very ill and wouldn't be able to respond until I had gotten better.

"Can we make her better, can we take her home with us?" Noah's eyes looked expectantly at his mother and father.

A smile broke out across his father's face, "Yes, we can. But only if you're sure you want a little sister."

"I do! Please help her!" Noah cried out.

That night they took me to their house, it was the nicest one in Darktown, but event the best of Darktown couldn't compare to the worst of Lowtown. Although, the money that they had kept from their past did help with furnishing, clothing, and food. Their gold also helped supply the few honest merchants of Darktown. The Royals had high hopes for Darktown one day, but for now they had to stabilize their own well being.

It didn't take long for the Royals to see that I was a very stubborn girl. They told me that with one look into my big, violet eyes, they named me Thalia. Once I had become healthy, they grew to love me as if I was their own.

As the years past, Darktown was slowly benefitting from the Royal's support, it was still just as dark and murky, but the people and trade there had significantly changed. Business was crawling its way upward, out of the hole that was the Undercity, as more and more gold entered the the flow. A few new vendors had even set up in Darktown. Among them was a fruit and vegetable stall run by Ferelden refugees, which got its produce from the refugees starting up farms just outside the city. Some of the new vendors had been skeptical of selling in Darktown, many of them were afraid of being mugged and all their goods taken, but Milo Royal, my father, had promised them protection.

By the time I was seventeen, the Ferelden refugees were pouring into the city like mad. Before anyone knew it, the city had reached its maximum limit in only months after the suspicions of the Blight were confirmed. The refugees that actually made it into the city, before Kirkwall closed its gates, did not find anymore ease inside the City of Chains than they did outside waiting. They filled up every nook and cranny of Darktown, stealing and beating their way for survival. That year was very tough on my father, he had to enforce the stalls with more guards and even paid people to start handing out pallets to the new refugees about how things worked in Darktown. He hoped this would keep the number of killings and muggings down.

After that one very hard year, full of struggling, starvation, and stress, things quieted down. Once word had gotten to Kirkwall that the Hero of Ferelden had defeated the Blight, many of the refugees went back to Ferelden to see if they could re-create their life again. Some moved out of Darktown to start working in the fields with other refugees outside Kirkwall. Darktown still had substantially more people living there than before, but that was to be expected. My father said that maybe, just maybe, if these people worked hard and honest, they could benefit Darktown. Many of them did, others...not as much. The ones that did not, joined criminal organizations like the Carta or Coterie, or wound up dead in a back alley.

About a year later, after the blight had ended, a healer from Ferelden set up a clinic in Darktown. His services were welcomed in Darktown, as he did not ask for coin, and he was able to cure many an illness and injury. I begged my father to let me help at the clinic, I told him that I needed somewhere that I could study magic and practice too. Eventually he agreed to meet with Anders, the Healer, and discuss with him the necessary arrangements to become his apprentice.

The Royals had first discovered my use of magic when I was very young, around when I was five. I was playing with Lucas, an elven boy my age, during winter. Lucas and I were in Noah's room when a chilly, toe curling, breeze swept through the house. The hearth was put out in an instant, leaving a thin trail of smoke up the chimney.

We shivered and chattered our teeth, when a woman walked into the room. With each step she took, the room plummeted deeper into the coldness, "Such beautiful innocence," She took a staggered look at me when I gazed back at her with fear and confusion she snapped her head away and onto Lucas. When his eyes became level with hers, a tranquility washed over him. This woman reminded him of his mother, such kind and gentle eyes... he would do anything for his mother, and for this woman!

Lucas heard whispers in the back of his head, telling him, suggesting to him, that he should hurt Thalia. He had but no choice to comply. Lucas turned his back on the woman and faced me, "Emma abelas, Tali," Lucas raised his wooden horse, and struck me. Although, the wooden horse didn't hurt badly, Lucas's betrayal did.

"No! Lucas stop! That hurts!" I wailed, then I yelled, "WHAT DID YOU DO? MAKE IT STOP!" I punched the woman to no avail, she merely laughed at my puny attempts.

So much anger course through my veins. I had to make her stop! I had to! My hands were met with a warm glow and when I struck her again, she too screamed; a mixture of shock and pain.

The woman took a step back and nursed her leg, a devious smile crossed her lips, "My, my... a mage?" A blinding light burst from within her, burning her body to a crisp. In her absence another form rose, but this was a gruesome sight. An abomination roared, with melded flesh, popping veins, and a construed figure, "I love to eat mages."

I broke out in a cold sweat, and was paralyzed with fear. I knew then, that I wanted to live through this experience. And I wanted this thing to die. I threw all of my weight against the creature, which I wasn't much, but I couldn't just let her do this!

"Make it go away! AWAY AWAY AWAY!" I screamed and firmly closed my eyes shut, refusing to open them, and it was gone...

Only darkness remained.

The familiar silence had returned.

When I opened my eyes once again the bloodthirsty creature was gone, but so was my silence.

Lucas shed tears of sorrow and clung to me as if I was the only thing keeping him alive. I stood there, not responding, instead pondering with a blank expression. Why had this happened, where was mother and father?

I pushed Lucas away, which shut him up right away. His sniffling came to an end, as he helped me search the house for my parents. I found them laying unconscious in their room.

"Mom... dad...? Mom! Dad! Wake up! The evil lady's gone now!" I shook them vigorously, praying to the Maker they were alive, "Don't be dead...you can't be!" After a few minutes, they finally awoke.

They hadn't recalled what happened. They were having a normal conversation, when all of the sudden they woke up here. I told them that an evil lady transformed into an even more ugly and evil thing and said it was going to eat me. I also mentioned that she even had turned Lucas against me, which Lucas was quite embarrassed about.

"How did you mange to get away?" My father held me and Lucas close, relieved that we were not harmed.

"I hit it, and closed my eyes, and then it was gone," I said making a poofing gesture.

Lucas knitted his brows together, and said, "That's not what happened. She froze the thing and then it was on fire. It burned down to ash in only seconds."

My parents exchanged worried looks, they now knew of my power. Noah would hear of this when he got home from his friend's, he would be cautioned and told to tell no one. Lucas was also sworn to secrecy.

From that day on I was an apostate.

IXI

A cough from the dungeon hallway - a slow creeping candle light made its way closer to me - awoke me from my thoughts of the past, "Hello?" My voice came out cracked and hoarse.

A mumble escaped the mystery candle holder. He walked toward my voice - light drawing rapidly closer.

"Over here," I said a little louder. Hoping he would pin point which cell mine was.

He did.

"Mage," a Templar man said coldly.

"That's no way to treat a lady. Could you a be gentleman and answer a few questions?" I attempted to remain lighthearted to no avail.

The Templar's eyes narrowed dangerously low, but he assessed me as no threat, "Fine."

By his uniform my first question was already answered. I was in the Gallows. But another one had arisen, "Do you know if I am scheduled to be tranquil or if I am part of the Circle now?" I tried to say my words as calmly as I could but the idea of tranquility scared me more than any Templar or demon could.

"Name?" He sounded bored almost, as if this was usual, talking about tranquility.

"Thalia Royal."

The moment my name left my lips the knight stiffened, and tensed, "By the mercy," he said ironically, "of the Knight-Commander, you are part of the Circle. But know this, we will all be watching you very closely," He did not try to hide his disdain, and I did not expect him to, "Tomorrow you'll be administered into the Circle officially. That is, _if _you pass your harrowing." With that he continued his long, mid-night shift down the hall, completely ignoring me. He didn't care if I had another question or not.

The next morning I was awakened by a different Templar, he told me to address him as Knight-Captain. He would be escorting me to my harrowing. I was on my best behavior to be respectful, but I was really testing my limits.

On our walk to the harrowing chamber the Knight-Captain had tripped and fallen on a loose cobblestone. I did my best not to snicker, and offered a hand to help him back up. He was confused at first, he thought I was trying to cast a spell on him, but once he realized I was trying to help he took my hand gratefully.

"Thanks..." he finally said. He was still blushing from his trip.

"First nice thing I've heard a from Templar all week! As a matter of fact, my whole life. Well, except for that one time when..." I knew I had said too much already. I should have just said 'you're welcome' and shut up.

"What time?" The Knight-Captain asked curiously.

"Its nothing, really," I was desperately avoiding the question.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," He pressed farther into the topic.

"Well it is! Okay, its nothing!" I yelled at him. Biting my tongue hard afterwards, regretting my temper.

I must have been the luckiest mage in the world. Any regular Templar would have had my head. But the Knight-Captain wasn't regular.

He held his hand out as if greeting me for the first time, "I'm Cullen. And if you pass your harrowing maybe you'll tell me the story one day?"

I shook his hand cautiously, not fully believing his friendliness, "Maybe..." _I don't think so._ We arrived at the harrowing chamber. Cullen gestured for me to enter, and I did.

I wasn't familiar the word harrowing, I remember Anders mentioning it once and also from a few eavesdropped conversations, but that was it. Over the years I had caught bits and pieces of words like maleficar, Anders had later explained to me what this was, and annulment but I had paid no attention to them, instead I listened in on the gossip.

I couldn't have prepared myself for what was to come. Luckily, Anders already had.


	2. Chapter 2: First Encounter

I found myself laying on the ground, visibly I looked unconscious, but on the inside my heart was pounding like a hammer. When my eyes adjusted to my new surroundings my pulse calmed a bit.

I was in the Fade, the place of my dreams, where I could make anything come a reality. Here, time was slow, stilling the hourglass of life. This place I felt safer than anywhere else, despite the desperate whispers that nipped at my mind.

As I took in my strange surrounding I knew I was not in my own paradise of the Fade but an area that took on a most hostile aura.

Someone - something - was watching me. I shifted my eyes to the left where I felt the thing's gaze lingering. I lifted my chin and spoke softly, "I can sense you there. Don't skulk in the shadows."

A young girl emerged from the misty ground, "Impressive," the girl's voice was high-pitched laced with a magical undertone, "My name is Curiot," she smiled mischievously.

There was something off about this girl, she definitely wasn't another dreamer, "Tali." I gave Curiot a cynical look, "My name is Tali."

Curiot laughed at my distrust, "Glad to see you're friendly," she took a step closer, "You're here for your harrowing, are you not? I can help, if you'll let me." She gave me an excited smile, like a real child would if they had been given a present.

"You must think me naïve to accept such an offer. Besides, what could you offer me other than your death...demon." Now I understood, she was definitely a demon, what else could she be? Anders said that the Spirits of the Fade rarely interfered with mortal affairs, and that demons preyed on dreamers like me.

"Now, now, don't go throwing out accusations when you have no idea what you're talking-" Curiot stopped mid-sentence, cautiously checking around her, "Come with me," she took hold of my hand but I yanked it away, "Please, we need to leave now," Her voice was desperate. This time she firmly grabbed my arm and tugged me with an unexpected force. I had no choice but to follow.

She didn't let go of my arm until we had arrived at a more peaceful area. I was completely confused and didn't like the idea of letting this demon lead me to her lair.

"Why did we leave there?" I demanded.

"You must have sensed the hostility in the air," Curiot looked worried, "That was part of Gurdur's territory; a pride demon. He sensed us, and came to investigate. I couldn't let him know you were here, not yet anyway."

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion, "Not yet?"

"To pass your Harrowing, you must defeat him. We won't have much time left before the templars declare you gone, Gurdur is powerful and it will take quite a bit of power to overtake him... if you let me I can help you with that."

"No! Do you I'm an idiot? You are clearly not human nor spirit," I backed away, keeping a cautious distance.

"I already told you, I am no demon," Curiot sighed, she knew she had a lot of explaining to do.

"Then what are you?"

"There it is, the very question many wanderers of the Fade ask. Even if I did explain to you, you would not believe me," Curiot thought for a moment more, "If you let me help you, it will cost you nothing, and I'll tell you what I am. Maybe you'll believe after I've gained your trust," She shrugged.

"You're saying that, you'll help me, and then tell me what I want to know? Without anything from my part?" I asked disbelieving.

"Well, you'd be doing me a favor by getting rid of Gurdur. He's been trying to capture me for a while now," Curiot shivered, "I expect he'd eat me and turn what's left into a mindless slave..."

"D-Demons can do that? I mean, turn other dwellers of the Fade into slaves?" This news was unheard of before.

Curiot knitted her eyebrows, "Where do you think blood magic came from? Except here we don't need blood, the Fade is...special like that. Well, for those who look close enough."

"Do you...look close enough?" I inquired carefully. This girl, demon, whatever she was, seemed to know quite a bit.

To my surprise she burst into a fit of laughter, "You're quite straightforward. I've dealt with people before that you wouldn't believe how badly cryptic they were. But to answer your question, I have looked for certain...magical benefits here, but I only use them against the most hostile of enemies."

I didn't really understand what she meant. Did she just threaten me? Saying that she could hurt me if I tried to attack her. Then again, all that she was asking for, was for me to accept her help. And if she tried anything funny, I would catch her off guard and hopefully that would give me enough time to finish her off, "Okay," I finally announced.

"Okay, you'll let me help you?" Curiot couldn't contain the joy in her voice, which slightly unnerved me.

"Yes. Let's get this over with," I looked around at my surroundings and realized I had no idea where I was, "Could you, take me there?"

"Of course!" Curiot clapped her hands together and set down a path-like walkway.

For a while we walked in silence, until we came upon a scene a most familiar sight to me.

A templar stood before us, but instead of the usual insignia of a burning sword, there was a dark-green crossbow on the silver breastplate. Bits of wavy golden hair stuck out of the bottom of the helmet, reminding me of someone I knew.

I pushed away the thought, this demon could not trick me with illusions of friends I once had. No matter how similar...

Curiot was the first to break the uneasy silence, "Come now Gurdur, taking the form of a loved one, such an amateur trick. Why not face us in your true form?"

"I prefer it this way. Ahh, Thalia, is it? The memory of the person I take form of is quite a mystery to you, yet you care for them all the same. Skylar," Gurdur smirked with amusement.

That name conjured so many fond memories I had forgotten. I forced myself to stop walking down memory lane; I didn't want to feed the demon more of my weaknesses, "I will kill you where you stand, demon. Your disgusting abuses to my memories do nothing to faze me. You are not Skylar, I know that. Besides, I have a bit of anger to vent." I smiled at the memory of how Skylar and I used to spar like this. Well, not exactly like this. It was under much more friendlier terms.

I turned around to find Curiot gone from my side; she seemed to have started meditating a good distance away from battle. I cursed at her, I thought she said she was going to help! I turned my attention back onto Gurdur, who was already in process of throwing a fireball, I barely dodged it by literally leaping to my left.

As I hit the ground I summoned an arcane bolt to deflect most of the damage of the remaining fire bolt. I quickly got back on my feet just in time to dispel Gurdur's next spell.

Before I realized it, the battle became a quick back and forth, throwing fire and ice balls, reflecting and blocking eachother's attacks, and every once and a while Gurdur would change forms, as he violated my mind in search of memories to feed off of.

All of the sudden, Gurdur had gained the upper hand, catching me in a paralysis. I stared in horror as the demon, now in the form of Lucas, eyed me hungrily, "Your power will make a very nice meal."

"I've that one before!" I yelled back.

Having forgotten about Curiot, the demon let down his defenses, leaving him utterly vulnerable. Curiot struck him, yet she was not there. One after another, not giving him the chance to even think about recovering.

The invisible beating continued even after Gurdur lay lifeless on the ground.

"You can stop now," I spoke to the empty air.

"Just making sure," Curiot walked calmly up from behind me.

I jumped up, expecting her to appear in front of me, "How did you...?"

"The most simple way to put it, is that I centered all my energy into a sort of astral projection where I could attack him from afar using a good bit of mana in one burst. It's especially effective when someone else is keeping the enemy busy," Curiot gave Gurgur once last glance, "and you did that perfectly. But something tells me this was almost too easy. It's smells fishy."

"But you can't smell in the Fade," I pointed out.

"My point exactly. As for all Harrowing purposes you have defeated your demon and can return to become a full fledged mage." Curiot started forming a portal for my return, "As for our deal, the next time you visit the Fade in your dreams I will indulge your curiosity."

She motioned for me to step into the completed portal, I was almost sure she was going to try and take possession of me, but no such thing occurred. I passed through the portal safely, and emerged back into my own dimension seamlessly.

~X~

"You're alive! And not possessed!" I heard a templar say astounded.

Had they expected me to fall prey to demons? There was still that Curiot girl, but I would soon find out her true nature. She had kept her word in aiding me, and she didn't try to take over me, so I'll keep my suspicions in the back of my mind for now.

First-Enchanter Orsino greeted me with respect, "I don't think I've ever seen a mage pass their Harrowing and come back without fainting from exhaustion."

"My secret?" I offered him, "Keeping a level head, and not letting your emotions get in the way of a fight."

"You're saying that this didn't cause you serious mental stress?" Orsino lifted an eyebrow, he began to question whether or not I really was possessed.

I picked right up on this. The last thing I needed was one of the templars to overhear our conversation and tell Meredith that I _might_ be possessed, "I have nothing a pride demon can prey on. I would say that, that was a most helpful benefactor."

Orsino's eyes widen slightly, "You fought a pride demon? They are the most powerful in the demon hierarchy," He looked at me in a new light, "You really have nothing to take pride in being?"

I laughed; he truly knew nothing of me, "I'm a **mage**, who was raised by **exiled **nobles in **Darktown**."

Then I thought to myself, "_Wait, what's not to take pride in being a mage? Just being who I am?"_


	3. Chapter 3: Two Sides to Every Opinion

"You passed you're harrowing with flying colors, surprising, but I'm impressed," Meredith gave me a faux smile, I could swear that her tone hid a hint of venom.

"I'm not easy prey for demons, as you must have originally thought. Growing up in Darktown, you have to build up your will, your endurance. Not like you'd know, living a comfy life up here in the Gallows, with clean quarters," My tongue wouldn't stop, no matter how much my brain was telling me to. The more I sass-talked Meredith the more likely my head would be on a pike the next morning.

Meredith was shocked at my resistant attitude, she knew I would be trouble. But instead of cutting me down, she retained her ugly fake smile, but it soon turned into an annoyed grimace, "I-the Knight-Commander- have the power to execute certain actions that would indeed give your "endurance" a run for its money," She smiled wickedly, "You are a mage of the Circle now, chained up by the Chantry like a good little doggy. You may have survived your harrowing, but one wrong move and I'll take everything away, _maleficar_!"

I took a step back, Meredith's power hungry ragged breathing gave me goosebumps, "Alright, alright, I get your point. Just calm down for Maker's sake!" I motioned my hands up and down for emphasis. I knew this would only further anger her, but at that point I didn't think it mattered anymore. Her facial expression was well worth the punishment.

Meredith snarled, "Such disrespect, you insolent brat! Two months in quarantine!" She exclaimed loudly, her smug countenance returned, "Now leave! Ser William will escort you back to that cell you woke up in!"

Well crap, maybe the ends didn't justify the means. And just when I was getting used to the apprentice's dorms...

My thoughts were cut short by Meredith shooing my away, inwardly laughing at my paled face. I slowly opened up the door to the hall way to find a handsome templar waiting to take me back to quarantine.

I gave him a winning smile, maybe a few friends in the Order wouldn't be so bad? Leniency had to be earned after all, "Pleased to meet you serah, I'm Thalia."

That earned a dry chuckle from Ser William, "That's new, don't think I've ever heard a mage actually say _that _to me. Especially one I've already addressed before. It usually goes along the lines of 'I just want see my family, to have a life, I won't be a danger to anyone I promise!' He used the same pleading tone a desperate mage captive would, as if they have been dragged from their home.

"Already addressed? No, I don't believe we've met." I think I would remember someone who imitated poor victims. Maybe templar friends isn't the way to go, especially if they're all as sick as this one.

"I was on night duty the day you woke up in your cell, speaking of cells you're on your way back to one, am I right?" He gave me a knowing smile, it was all but friendly.

"You!" The realization startled me. He was the rude templar that simply walked away from me when I had been asking him questions. Granted, I didn't think he'd answer any of my questions, and was fortune enough that he did. But his twisted humor reminded me too much of Meredith's.

"Yes, me. Now let's go." Ser William's patience for conversation was suddenly cut short, as he grabbed me by the arm and practically dragged me to the dungeon.

On our way to the dungeon, the Knight-Captain happened to pass by, leaving him in confusion, _Why was Ser William taking Thalia into quarantine?_ But he had no time to think as he had to attend to his duties.

~X~

When Ser William and I finally reached my cell he violently pushed me to the ground inside my cell, being the sick bastard he was.

"Laughing at pain I see? Your just another greedy, abusive templar who doesn't know the first meaning of courtesy!" I yelled at him from behind my bars.

"Courtesy?" He scoffed, "Mages don't deserve courtesy, they're not even human. They're disgusting abominations in waiting. As are you." He left me in the dimly lit dungeon, where it felt as if any resolve was sapped away with the silent wails of the jailed.

I sighed and returned to my old friend, Back-Pain the Bed.

No word from Curiot yet, she hadn't even tried to contact me in the Fade while I slept. Was the on purpose? Or was I somehow unconsciously blocking her out?

I pushed away these thoughts, and focused at the situation at hand. Two months in quarantine? The only way I'll make it out of here is if I rise up in the ranks, gain trust. I wonder if it's even possible for me to become an Enchanter with Meredith in charge. I've already had my harrowing, but what if becoming an Enchanter takes years? The sooner I get out of here, the better.

As I lay creating a plan that would soon be forgotten by morning, I slowly drifted into sleep.

~X~

I soon find myself in the Fade, I couldn't remember waking up here nor standing up even. I turn around to find Curiot smiling from ear to ear.

As I take in my surroundings I realize that the part of the Fade I found myself in doesn't seem at all like the misty floating islands I was so used to.

I was in a library, with towering bookcases full of ancient crumbling tomes probably written in arcane. When I looked at the further most corners of the room I noticed tree branches peeking in, along with flowered bushes and tufts of grass. There was a certain naturalistic beauty to this place I couldn't put my finger on it.

That's when I finally looked up. The sky was a pure blue, displaying such a wonderful lighting, yet the sun was nowhere to be seen. Instead, fluffy sea-foam white clouds formed to complete the picturesque scene.

Curiot's voice finally brought me back down to Nirn, or should I say the Fade?

"Do you like it? It's my favorite out of the rest."

"The rest?" I inquire.

"The rest of the other paradises I've created. It's like when a demon tries to trap a mortal with illusions, tricking the mortal into thinking it's real," Curiot answers.

"And that's different from this how?" I take a step back.

"I'm not trying to contain you in the Fade with a false reality. This setting is merely for aesthetic reasons. The Fade looks all the same, it gets dreary after a few thousand years," Curiot winked at me, noting how my eyes widened in shock at hearing her supposed age.

"Y-You've been alive thousands of years?" I finally voice the question buzzing in my head.

"Well, not exactly... I... don't really know how long I've been here. I was created before time was created. You see, time in the Fade didn't exist until mortals from your world created it, and brought it here when mages from the Imperium came to take over the Golden City. Dwellers of the Fade hadn't cared to interfere with the mortal world. Until man came and corrupted most of us, turning the most affected into what you now call demons," Curiot sighed, she knew explaining this all at once was way too much to take in, "Those dwellers of the Fade, that are now demons, were misguided, they sought affection from their creator, their jealousies had taken over them with help from the corruption, they thought that those mages were why their creator had left them in favor of your world. That is why mages are targeted most by demons, because demons want to be them. Well that, and their power...'What makes you truly human, elf, dwarf, or kossith is your sins' said Ilide, a desire demon I had once crossed paths with," Curiot finally finishes. She had just revealed to me what most scholars would never know despite a lifetime searching for answers.

I had to blink my eyes several times, just to make sure I was really here. My thoughts start to slow down as I process all of this information, but I feel as if she hadn't mentioned something, "But...wait, what does that make you?"

Curiot chuckles, "That takes even more explanation... You know what spirits are right?" I nod yes, "Well, there are actually two different types of spirits: There are the souls of the deceased from your world, stuck here wandering the empty halls of the Fade. And there are the spirits that embody the good virtues of man, they are the exact opposite of demons. When the corruption took over, it split most of the residents here, into two factions: Spirits and Demons. Their disagreements of why their creator had more love for mortals, have left them to what they are today. Spirits believe that what makes a mortal truly mortal are compassion, love, mercy, justice, valor, honor, and many more traits that your kind values," Curiot looked into my eyes.

The true meaning to all this, is for me to understand what she is, yet she still has not told me one thing about herself, this left me with only more questions, "You mentioned that _most_, not all, residents of the Fade were split... Were you one of the unaffected?"

"I was, yes. But that was because I wasn't as susceptible to the corruption. I too, am still searching for answers."

"And also... I was wondering... What do you believe makes a human, human?"

"Not just humans, all mortals in general," She corrects me. She seems hesitant to answer, "I believe that they are both correct, they're just too stubborn to accept that fact. Everything has its opposite, and in a way the opposites are deeply connected. Mortality in itself is something we of the Fade can never have, unless we take it. The same goes for people of your world, you can never be immortal unless you take it from a demon or spirit."

This, all of it, was fascinating. I couldn't believe that I, a mage from Darktown, was being blessed with the answers to some of the world's most mysterious questions. How does Curiot know all of this? Of course she has been alive since before _time itself_.

"But what are-" I'm cut short by a throbbing in my head, I can hear someone in the background screaming at me. My head was being pounded by a hammer with each word they said, until finally I gave up. The last thing I saw was Curiot's concerned face, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, until finally she cast a simple portal and sent me back.

~X~

"Hey, hey!" Cold steel hands awoke me by shaking me senseless, leaving me dizzy for a couple of seconds.

"Huh- wha..." I finally saw who was in front of me. It was Lucas of all people! "Lucas, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here. Go back home_ lethallian._" I used his native language even though I was not an elf myself.

"Lucas?" A deep rough voice shattered my image, and pieced it back together forming someone different. Damn templars... "Some friend of yours? Doesn't matter now, you're never going to see them again anway," At that I shot a glare at him, but kept my mouth shut. The templar stood up straighter, "First Enchanter Orsino wants to see you. Now," He announced.

I got up from Back-Pain the bed, and sure enough I found sores on my back from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. I put on my shoes, which were more like fancy slippers. I was about to search for my staff but remembered they don't allow that in quarantine. So quickly and quietly I followed the templar to Orsino's office.

This templar seemed like the average man, I didn't recognize him. But that was to be expected, since I only knew a total of three templars here, including Meredith.

Before I knew it, I found myself in front of Orsino's door, the templar had left me alone. I opened the door slightly, Orsino noticed immediately and called for me to enter.

Once I had shut the door firmly behind me, his face turned serious, "You're already waking on tight ropes with Meredith. Being in quarantine only furthers the templars cruelties towards us. You're an outsider, the first in a long time, not to have been executed on the spot. I must ask for your cooperation, and that you behave expectantly. If you agree I can try and shorten your time down there, but if you get in trouble one more time there is nothing _I_ can do."'

"Agreed," I shake his hand, and a thought pops into my head, "When you say trouble you mean big things, right? Not accidental things?"

He gives me a grim look, "Meredith doesn't tolerate any misconduct. She's sent half the mages here to quarantine, just for looking at her the wrong way. One more thing before you leave," He looks at me with pity.

"Yes?" I say.

"I know you're young, but in this place you don't want to fall in love. Don't be foolish and naïve, it gets you killed."

"Being in love gets you killed?" I ask, bewildered.

"It depends on what you consider 'killed' as," He turned away leaving me with his cryptic statement, "You may go now, I trust you can see yourself back to quarantine, I don't want to have to involve anymore templars then necessary. And remember your promise."

I opened the door, only to find a small black cat sitting not ten feet from the end of the hall. It's yellow eyes were burned into my memory. When I blinked the cat was gone.

As I walk back to the dungeons, I think to myself. Was that some kind of omen? If it was, what did it mean? Black cats were a sign of bad luck...and magic. Funny how the two are connected.

I enter the lower reaches of the dungeons and am greeted rudely by the jailor, "Eh? Why are you not accompanied by a templar?" He raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

"I was told to come back here by myself, and I complied. Is that not enough?" I say in a monotone, if I dared add tone, my attitude would shine through.

The jailor grunted but decided it was too much trouble to tell his higher ups. He signed me into his log and I proceeded to my cell.

When I lay my eyes on me cell, I find myself surprised that I actually willingly came back here. But a promise is a promise. I stepped inside the small space and closed the barred door sadly behind me. Maybe something more interesting would happen tomorrow?

This boredom had started to crush me, I lived for adventure and adrenaline, when it was needed of course. All I really could do for the next couple of weeks was sleep. Looks like Back-Pain the Bed is going to get upgraded to best-friend status.


End file.
